Diet sodas have been around for a while now. The first diet soda was introduced in 1958 with diet Rite and many brands were soon to follow suit. Everyone was trying to get a low calorie option onto the market but there hadn’t been much medical research regarding the effects that the sugar supplements, sweeteners and additional additives could have on the body in the long term. Recent studies have shown that there are, in fact, many health concerns associated with drinking these so-called healthier options. 

Diet Soda Is Linked To Obesity And Other Serious Symptoms

More and more evidence is stacking up against diet soda and artificial sweeteners, confirming that they aren’t the healthy alternative that everyone thought they would be ten years ago. Even with the health benefits over original sodas, diet sodas can still lead to serious concerns including: 

Obesity - Drinking diet soda can actually cause some individuals to crave more sweets or snacks in general. Regular consumption also correlates with a higher BMI.

Diabetes - Sweeteners could be raising your insulin and blood glucose levels. Those factors make individuals more susceptible to type 2 diabetes.

Liver Issues - Fatty liver disease, commonly associated with consumption of alcohol, has now also been linked to constant intake of diet soda. 

Stroke - Research suggests that frequent and consistent consumption of regular or diet soda significantly increases the risk of stroke. 

Alzheimer’s Disease - One diet soda a day almost triples the likelihood of Alzhemer’s and dementia. 

Heart Disease - Heart attack and high blood pressure are at higher risk if drinking diet soda is a regular part of the daily routine!

The Effects Of Diet Soda On Weight Loss And Weight Gain

If your brain is getting tricked into eating more or having increased sugar cravings due to something you’re putting in your body, wouldn’t you want to know? That is likely the case with both regular ingestion of sugars and sweeteners. One study found that diet soda and sweeteners may actually be worse for sugar cravings than regular soda or original, non processed, sugar. Another study suggests that long term use of diet soda is associated with developing a larger waist circumference and more, difficult, visceral fat.

Diet Soda Vs Regular Soda Nutrition Facts

There are many myths about the diet alternative and it’s original predecessor. The low calorie option was a godsend for people who had fallen in love with the beverage but understood the toll that frequent and consistent intake could and likely would take on the body. But how much healthier or risk free, if any, is diet soda than the regular?

There are small variations to the flavors from the regular recipe to the diet one, but in reality, the main difference in the two is a switch from sugar or high fructose corn syrup to a sugar substitute. Popular sugar substitutes include aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose and stevia.

Can Diet Soda Help You Lose Weight

Reduced Calories - Cutting calories is great for weight loss but the alternatives added can be deceiving. 

Less Sugar - One regular soda has more sugar than is recommended for an entire day. If you have a habit of drinking a few a day there could be serious consequences long term.

Better Blood Sugar Levels - There are more carbs in one can of soda than an average two course meal. That translates to higher blood sugar levels which is tied directly to onset type 2 diabetes.

Coke Zero Vs Diet Coke

Coke Zero has, as the name suggests, zero sugar. Believe it or not, neither does Diet Coke. Coke brand claims that the no sugar variety is actually closer in taste to the original, but that is for the consumer to decide. Coke Zero gets its sweetness from aspartame and acesulfame K, the same two sweeteners found in Diet Coke. Other than that, the only real difference chemically is the acid used. Zero uses sodium citrate while Diet has citric acid as an ingredient instead.

That all may sound very technical and in reality, it doesn’t matter if one is slightly better for you than the other because they’re both more than likely not going to be beneficial to your weight loss or maintenance goals. Neither drinks offer any nutritious value to your diet so believing that one is better for you than the other just doesn’t make a lot of sense when you’re on a serious weight loss journey.

The Different Diet Sodas Effect On Weight Management

There is nothing nutritious about any soda really. Just the label of diet signifies that there are less calories than the original sugar packed drinks that we all fell in love with and became addicted to as kids. When you’re trying to decide what bubbly concoction to grab out of the fridge, remember this: If you're trying to lose weight, that diet or zero calorie coke may not be your best option. All of these different brands are really made up, primarily, of the same base ingredients. When it comes down to it, none of them are necessarily beneficial to consume regularly for extended periods of time.

Those ingredients are:

• Carbonated Water
• Sweeteners (often chemical based)
• Acids
• Color
• Flavors 
• Preservatives 
• Caffeine

Good Alternatives To Soda Pop

If you’re looking for a healthier option, or maybe just to decrease your intake of soda or diet soda altogether, it may be time to try stocking up on something different. Flavored soda waters (aka seltzers or sparkling water) are all the rage now and can be a great alternative to traditional soda or diet varieties. Maybe even throw a splash of your favorite juice in with it to give it an extra kick! Trendy items such as low sugar kombucha, which offers probiotics; or watermelon water, which has potassium and citrulline; are both much more beneficial to the body.

Skinny Up!® Can Help You Cut Your Soda Habit Entirely

Soda and Diet Soda are relatively addictive substances. If you’re trying to kick the habit but you’re finding it difficult due to those pesky sugar cravings continually popping up at the worst times, Skinny Up!® has a solution for you.

Skinny Up!® Yeast Redux Clears the gut of candida overgrowth which feeds on sugars and carbs. Those cravings happen because of the candida overgrowth in your gut. A candida cleanse can relieve you of your sugar cravings and help you kick the soda habit.* Find out more about our Candida Cleanse today.

Skinny Up!® Reduce will give you the energy you need to get through the day. Get the hard work done and then have some leftover for whatever comes your way. That means you’ll be burning fat fast over the reduce period of the protocol.* This all natural supplement also helps to provide focus to individuals who struggle with brain fog.

Skinny Up!® Maintain suppresses the appetite naturally, so after you’ve lost weight with Skinny Up!® Yeast Redux and Skinny Up!® Reduce, you’ll be able to keep it off by limiting your caloric intake without the fight that comes from other methods of limiting and dieting.

Carbonation And Its Effects On The Body

Sugar and sugar alternatives aren’t the only things that are raising health “red flags” as far as soda and diet soda are concerned. The common claim is that drinking large amounts of soda water decreases calcium in bones and teeth. Some people believe that IBS is also associated with or worsened by large quantities of the soda as well. They’ll even tell you that soda water can still make you gain weight even without all the sugars and other additives found in soda pop. 

Does Carbonated Water Cause Weight Gain?

Studies found that soda pop did decrease calcium levels but not soda water or other non sweetened beverages with carbonated water. Another later study revealed that while soda and diet soda do cause tooth decay, their healthier sugar or sweetener free options did not, and that these claims were common misconceptions.

Carbonation may cause bloating and gas, but will not be the onset cause of IBS. And as far as weight gain goes, soda water might calm your stomach and allow you to have more of an appetite or eat more, but the liquid itself has no other correlation with packing on pounds. That is, as long as other additives aren’t adding calories to the concoction. Things like sodium, acids, sweeteners and flavors are likely to do just that, so keep an eye out for what you’re actually putting into your body before buying in too much.

Skinny Up!®  Product Line Is Made To Aid You

Our all natural products are great aids for pretty much any aspect of your weight loss or weight maintenance journey. If you’ve been struggling to lose weight and don't know why, it may be as simple as bad gut health or candida overgrowth. Maybe you have a bit of a sweet tooth and need an assist to help break the habit of caving to those sugar cravings. 

Whatever it is, Skinny Up!® products and our team is here to help. Check out our reviews and see how successful our products have been for our amazing customers or reach out to us with any questions or for more information.